Office



(No Model.)

J. P. WAITB. BRAKE FOR CABLE CARS.

Patented Feb. 10, 1891.

UNITED STATES IPATENT'HQFFICEQ JAMES F. \VAITE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO \VILLIAM HOLLIS, OF SAME PLACE. A

BRAKE FOR CABLE CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,305, dated February 10, 1891. Application filed June 5,1890. Serial No. 354,387. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: frame are the side bars II, which carry at Be it known that I, JAMES F. \VAITE, a cititheir lower ends the lower brake-bar I. The zen of the United States, residing in the city side bars II pass up freely through the bars and county of San Francisco, State of Cali- 9 and G of the carrying-frame and have a fornia, have invented an Improvement in top bar 76, and they are adapted to be raised 55 Brakes for Cable-Railway Cars; and I hereby and lowered, thereby carrying the brake-barI declare the following to be a full, clear, and up and down. Fitted and adapted to move up exact description of the same. and down upon the lower ends of the side bars My invention relates to the general class of H is the upper brake-bar J. 10 cable-railway devices, and especially to the The lower brake-bar I lies within the up- 60 brakes for the cars,'and to that class of said per portion of the tube or tunnel between the brakes in which the slot-irons are acted'upon slot-rails D, and the lower ends of the side as a frictional resistance or contact. bars H travel in the slot. The upper brake- My invention consists in the novel brake bar J lies abovethe slot-rails. and means for hanging and operating it,here- The two brake-bars are adapted to be 6 5 inafter fully described,and specifically pointmoved toward each other, so that they may ed out in the claims. bind upon the under and upper sides of slot- The object of my invention is to provide a rails, thus clamping said rails between them,

simple and efiective brake of this class and to be moved apart, thus relieving said adapted to all the conditions and courses of rails. The mechanism to effect these move- 70 travel. ments is as follows:

Referring to the accompanying drawings K is a horizontal slide-bar fitted freely over for a more complete explanation of my inthe brake-frame. To one end of this are pivvention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my oted the links L, which extend upwardly and cable-car brake. Fig. 2 is an end view of connect with the top bar hof the side bars H 75 same, showing the brake-bars in position. and the links M, which extend down and are A is a car or portion thereof traveling upon connected with the upper brake-bar J.

the tracks B of a cable-railwaybed, of which Mounted under the car is a rock-shaft N, C is the tube or tunnel, which may be supto one end of which is connected the operatingposed to contain the parts usual to railways lever 0, extending upwardly through the car- 80 of this class,but unnecessary herein-to show. fioor within reach of the gripman. The shaft In the top of the tube or tunnel is the usual N has a crank-arm n, which is connected by slot formed between two separated bars D, a link P with the end of the slide-bar K, a termed the slot-rails. suitable frame, such as 19, guiding said link. Depending from the car is a frame E, in the The operation is as. follows: Then the car 85 side bars e of which are made the grooves e, is running free the two brake-bars are sepain which the ends of the hangers F are fitted. rated; but when the necessity for checking it Said hangers are adapted to have a longitudiarises the lever O is operated to rock shaft N,

nal movement in the grooves e, and one of which, through its crank-arm and link P, them is adapted to have a slight forward-andslides bar K, and this, through the links L 90 back movement, due to its ends being narand M, draws the two brake-bars together,

rower than the length of the grooves; but the the lower one rising and the upper one deother hanger has ends which fit the grooves scending, so that between them they grasp snugly enough that while permitting a longiand bind upon the intervening slot-rails. The

5 tudinal movement aforward-and-back movefrictional contact may be more or less grad- 5 ment is avoided. Upon the hangers are the ually or suddenly effected according to the upright pins f, termed horns, and upon necessities of the case, and the car will be these is fitted the carrying-barG of the brake checked, as required. The brake-bars will be frame,- said frame having also the depending made to conform in shape to the character of end bars g and guide-bars g. Fitted in this the surfaces of the slot-rails against which I00 they operate, and may be made of suitable length and shod, as required. The manner of hanging the brake provides for turning curves properly, for the sliding of the hangers 5 permits the brake-frame to conform to the course. The object in mounting one of the hangers so that it has no forward or back movement is to avoid undulyaffecting the position of the operating-lever 0. WVith this hanger the link P is connected. The other hanger has sufficient forward-and-back movement to allow the brake-frame, in connection with the longitudinal movement of the hanger, to conform to the curve, while the first I hanger, remaining steady as far as any forward-and-back movement is concerned, does not affect the position of link P nor through it the position of lever O.

A trap-door a, in the floor of the car permits the insertion of the brake-frame and provides for access to it.

It will be understood that my brake apparatus is wholly independent of the grip and any of its connections.

I am aware of the existence of slot-brakes. In some instances a wedge is projected from above into the grip-slot. In others a wedge is pulled up from below into the slot, and in one instance a rocking bar passes into the 0 slot and has fast upon it above and below the slot-rails plates, which by the vibration of the bar are adapted to nip the rails by their diagonally-optmsite points. 1 do not, therefore, claim a slot-brake, broadly; but

' 5 What I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A brake for cable-railway cars, consisting of a carrying-frame, vertically-movable bars H, mounted in said frame and passing through 40 the tube or tunnel slot, a brake bar secured to the lower ends of said bars and lying under the slot-rails, an independently verticallymovable brake-bar mounted on the bars 11 and lying above the slot-rails, and the mechanism 5 for moving the brake-bars toward each other to bind the slot-rails between them and separating them to relieve said rails, consisting of the slide-bar K, the linksL, connecting said slide-bar with bars H, and the links M, con.- necting'it with the upper brake-bar, substantially as herein described.

2. A brake for cable-railway cars, consisting of a carrying-frame, vertically-movable bars H, mounted in said frame and passing through the tube or tunnel slot, a brake-bar secured to the lower ends of "said bars and lying under the slot-rails, an independently verticallymovable brake-bar mounted on the bars H and lying above the slot'rails, and the mechanism for moving the brakes toward each other to bind the slot-rails between them and separatin g them to relieve said rails, consisting of the slide-bar K, the linksL, connecting said slidebar with bars H, and the links M, connecting it with the upper brake-bar, the rock-shaft N, having the operating-lever O and the crankarm n, and the link P, connecting said crankarm with the slide -bar K, substantially as herein described.

,3. Abrake for cable-railway cars, consisting of the depending frame E, the longitudinallyslidinghanger mounted in one end of the frame and havingaforward-and-back movement, and the longitudinally-sliding hanger mounted at the other end of the frame, the carrying-frame 7 5 suspended from the hangers, the verticallymovable side bars H, mounted in the frame and having a top bar, said side bars passing down through the tube or tunnel slot, the brake-bar secured to the lower ends of bars H and lying under the slot-rails, the independently vertically-movable brake-bar mounted on the side bars and lying above the slot-rails, and the mechanism for moving the brake-bars toward each other to bind the slot -rails between them and to move them apart to relieve said rails, consisting of the slide-bar K, the links L and M, connecting said bar with the top bar of bars H and with the upper brakebar, respectively, the rock-shaft N, having the operating-lever O and crank-arm n, and the link P, connecting said crank arm with the slide-bar K, substantially as herein de scribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES F. XVAITE.

Vitnesses HOLLAND SMITH, S. H. NOURSE. 

